Naruto: The Atma Chronicles
by Narakusnoone
Summary: The forces of darkness are awakening. Naruto along with a handful of others wil rise to face this threat head on. This is only book one. Naru Hina, Major Sasuke bashing along with CoE bashing. Violence, M content, language. crossover with too many to be consistent with one thing.
1. Chapter 1

**Naruto: The Atma Chronicles**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Suikoden, Dragon Ball anything, Final Fantasy, Tales of anything, or anything else for that matter.**

**Prologue:**_** The beginning**_

The World, Gaia Quatra, a world filled with infinite conflict. No, not because of the physical, but because of the ethereal and cosmically spiritual. Before the world came to be, Two great forces were in constant struggle with each other. On one side of the spectrum were the powers of order and calm, whilst on the other the powers of chaos and destruction ran rampant. This was not of their own accord, mind you.

No, you see, It was the Eternal one who created these forces. And yet, he saw their struggle and despaired. For, he was a god of balance and could not create only one entity but a mirror entity as well. So, In order for these Powers to coexist, He gave them form and name.

For Chaos, The ruler of Chaos was Desarius. Despite him being Chaotic in nature he was compassionate and kind. With him in Chaos there were four other beings. There was Susano'o, the god of storms, Kodoki, the god of fools, Macert, god of war, and Jesuin, goddess of the free arts. For Order, The ruler of Order was Illumina. She was Beautiful and loving. With her were four other beings. There was Rimalia, goddess of the calm, Zelda, goddess of the wise, Hilda, goddess of victory, and Rahknam, god of Logic.

Not knowing as to why they were made, they each turned to the eternal one. The Eternal the said unto them, "Take heart my children for behold I made you, gave you form end the clash of powers you behold. And behold I give you middle ground with which to be in balance." And with a wave of his hand Gaia Quatra was made. "On this ground," He said, "creatures of my design exist. And yet they are empty. I leave them to you. Bless them and protect them." And so he left the ten gods to his work.

"This world seems to still," said Susano'o. "I shall give it nature and the elements, for a storm can happen in any element." And he breathed over the world and was made and elements existed. Rimalia looked on the creatures of the world and said, "They are lifeless so I shall give them peace and warmth." And she breathed on the world and the creatures came alive calm and warm. Kodoki, with a grin said, "It would do well for them to be curious and have emotion." He stretched his hand on the world and the creatures began to feel and wonder. Zelda looked on the world and said, "I will give them morals and values to know right from wrong." She stretched hand over the world and the creatures began to know, just know good and bad. Macert said, "Order can only exist as long chaos is pushed back and the reverse is also true. I must give them conflict and weapons." And lo he took a dagger from his belt and put it on the earth. And the creatures drew lines in the sand with it. Hilda looked at them and said, "Violence only goes so far so I give them diplomacy and compromise." She took a pen from her satchel and put it on the earth. And the first treaty was signed with it. Jesuin looked at the world and said, "In order to be responsible for their actions they must have a will of their own." And so she sprinkled some water on the earth and the creatures began to think for themselves. Rhaknam began to ponder, "Is it right that all creatures think and speak the same. Lest they become of one mind I give them prejudice and evolution unto some." He sprinkled his water on the earth and some creatures began to advance faster than others and look down on those that were considered inferior.

Desarius and Illumina had yet to give their blessing. They looked at one another. Then Desarius said, "They must understand their own value and have a way of leaving the world lest it collapse from overpopulation. I give them time, death, and age." And suddenly all creatures began age and die. "I also make my own creation, and I shall call it Demon." And behold he made a being of flesh stronger than any other creature came into being. "If the balance shall shift towards Order ever so much, he shall rain destruction and restore balance."

Illumina looked upon the world and said, "Behold, they walk in darkness yet see but cannot notice. I give light by day and night and I shall call the lights the Sun, The Moon, And the Stars." And behold the lights shined bright in the sky and creation could see its world for the first time. "And now, I make my own creation, and call him Dragon." In her palm a being of flesh appeared awesome in stature, and great in power. " Should the balance shift toward Chaos, he shall face it and restore balance."

The Eternal one looked upon all that they had done and was pleased. "This is your world now. I go now to create more. Be mindful though. Should this world collapse your powers will clash once more. Take care of it." The gods gave their word.

Suddenly a loud noise could be heard…

"YAAWWWWWNNN!" A six year old boy looked up from the book in front of him and checked his clock. His alarm had sounded at seven in the morning. He shot up from his bed surprised. 'I've been reading all night!' he thought in a frenzy as he dashed around his room picking up what he could. Today was to be a very special day for him. Today, was the day that he would be entering the Konoha Ninja Academy. He had remembered setting his alarm to two hours before it opened so that he could get there on time. After all, he had been taught that eagerness, punctuality, and a smile were a way to a good first impression.

Quickly, he ran into his bathroom and turned on the light. He a minute to look at himself in the mirror to see what he needed to do. He was a small boy with sunkissed hair that spiked naturally around his head. His eyes were a deep blue that, though so full of life, held within them an even deeper pain, as well as sadness, and above all a determination to be as great as he could possibly be. The most distinguishing part of his countenance though, was the six whisker-like marks that adorned his cheeks with three on each side. He didn't know why he had them, and the answer always was denied when he asked for their origin. And suddenly realizing that he put himself on a time limit, he stepped away from the mirror and began to take of his clothes so he could shower.

He emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later after showering, brushing his teeth, and trying (and failing to) brush his hair. He rushed back to his bedroom to put on some clean, as well as appropriate clothing. Yet, all he could find that was clean was a pair of orange pants a t-shirt with a red spiral on it. Putting it on, he quickly looked around his room to ensure nothing was missing from the ensemble. He then noticed his kunai and shuriken holsters lying on the bedside table. But he knew he couldn't bring them because students under third year were not allowed weapons, which in his opinion sucked because they had been a gift from the Hokage and were the best training set that money could buy. Sighing to himself he went over to his bed and decided to make it before he left his room.

He looked down at the book he was reading earlier, a curious tome called _Tales of Ages, _and picked up off the mattress to put it in his hiding place for all his more valuable treasures. He walked over to his closet, opened the door, and knelt down. Then, with his fingernails, he felt around for a particular loose board which he found and pulled it up revealing a tiny cubby in the cramped space. Inside it were things that he valued very much like the little silver gimel coin which had a sheriff star on the side for heads and a sword and gun crossing on the other. Along with it was a perfectly spherical crystal with the kanji for storm in it which was given to him by a traveler when he was four, as well as a little knife that a samurai from the Land of Iron had given him when he was three. Ever so gently, he placed the book in his hiding spot before, just as gently, replacing the floorboard. With that task completed, he rose from his place and rushed from his bedroom into the main room of his small apartment.

He went to the kitchen and made himself a small breakfast because he did not have much food in stock and could hardly go out to get more. For some reason unknown to him, no shop would allow him to buy from them, as he would only be met with scorn or in some cases, violence. So, the old Hokage would get one of his ANBU, the specially trained assassination/hunter squad, to buy the child's groceries once a month. Having finished his meager meal the child went his front door, picked up his back pack full of his new books, note books, and various utensils, put on his sandals and walked out the door.

Once outside, he looked out onto the horizon to stare at the monument resting on the side of the mountain overshadowing the leaf village and said to himself, "Look out Konoha. The next Hokage Uzamaki Naruto is on his way to greatness."

R&R

Naruto will be a little smarter in this as well as stronger as well. There will characters of my own design in this and he will notice Hinata a lot earlier than in the manga. This is going to be epic. Expect an update every two weeks at most barring circumstances beyond my and by extension your control. I promise you if I have to hike the three miles to the Public library and spend an unusual amount of time there to type the next chapter I will. Peace out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Naruto: The Atma Chronicles**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Suikoden, Dragon Ball anything, Final Fantasy, Tales of anything, or anything else for that matter.**

**Chapter 1: **_**The Road to Graduation**_

Naruto was running as fast as his legs could carry him through the forest trying to escape the hunter he knew was behind him. At first, he thought as to how it came to this, to look someone he knew in the eye with great trust and respect only to have his trust shattered in an instant by a nearly well placed strike that could have killed him had someone not taken the blow meant for him. "I hope Iruka-Sensei is alright." Naruto said to himself as he ran in no predetermined direction. He thought back to the day he first met his favorite teacher.

_Flashback_

Naruto had already been in the academy for one year plus a half when Kazero-Sensei had been promoted to jonin. He didn't like Naruto at all and would go way out of his way to try (and fail) to make Naruto feel as if he were not welcome. His methods usually involved more homework for Naruto, which came back to him done and correctly, or by trying to catch him unaware with random graded quiz questions, which he answered word for word from memory, or even purposefully marking all his wrong answers as right and vice versa on paper tests only to hear the boy say "Well, I'll just study harder for next one." Incidentally, Kazero's first mission as a jonin got him crippled from the waist down for the rest of his life, but that's not important except to say Karma Is a PMSing bitch to child abusers no matter the abuse, physical or mental.

On that day, a person no one had laid eyes on before had walked into the room. He was tall, but compared to a seven or eight year old any person over five feet tall was a giant by comparison. His brown hair was shoulder length and tied into a tail just a little behind the top of his skull. The kids, innocent little angels (read crazy little devil spawn) took one look in his black eyes and thought he would be a softy. One other thing of mention, across the bridge of his nose could be seen a straight line scar that many (read fan-girls) thought looked disgusting. And yet there were some in the classroom, who could see that he was hiding what he was capable of and decided to at least show the proper respect. And there was Naruto.

He and the new teacher locked eyes for just the briefest of moments but both could see in the other's eyes that they shared some qualities such as pain, and loneliness. So Naruto just decided to sit back and watch what the new guy would do. And whatever it was it had better of happened soon because two fan-girls were fighting over the seat next to the resident genius and arrogant prick, Sasuke.

This was before the Uchiha massacre, so Sasuke was not prone to being overly dark, but he was still arrogant, and thought he knew better than everyone else. It ticked Naruto off that he had to hide his potential, because he could have made Uchiha Sasuke a new asshole by now, but he knew doing so would cause him problems. So he forced himself to observe his classmates to try and figure out where best to place himself.

Obviously, he couldn't be at the top so positions one through five were not his to gain. But he very well could not be part of the median either for one show of true competency on his part would be met with harm on himself by other people. Yet at this point in time he still knew not why. So he had to stay low key, which is to say, act as barely passing.

As he was about to bite the bullet and act on his "crush", Sakura, who has having it out with a nameless girl over the coveted seat, a cold and frigid air filled the room. And then it grew as hot as hell as the new instructor yelled, with his head magnified five times and his voice able to overpower a banshee's, "That is enough out of you two! There are two perfectly good seats at the back of the class! So take them and shut up unless called on to talk!" Almost Immediately, The class had quieted down. His head was back to normal size and voice was just right for his stature once more. "Good. Now, my name is Umino Iruka. You may call me Iruka-Sensei if you wish. I will take over your education from this day forth. Next to me," he held out his left hand to a person next to him, "is my long-time friend and vice instructor Mizuki-Sensei. If I am not here, you are to listen to him. Is that understood?" A chorus of "Hai Iruka-Sensei!" rang through-out the room.

Mizuki was a friendly looking young man with silver hair and black eyes. He was just about as tall as Iruka wearing his chunin vest with pride. But, for the way he tried to project himself off as a good person Naruto, being ever observant, could see something worthy of distrust. But he was all about proving wrong as well as being proven wrong, for sometimes first impressions could be beaten out by first hand evidence contrary to what is perceived. He was willing to give Mizuki the benefit of the doubt. And that would be a mistake he would pay for later.

_End flashback_

Now was not the time to dwindle on the past. He had a job to do. He knew all along that something was amiss when he was approached by Mizuki about some sort of extra credit exam after the how well he made out on his Genin Exam.

_Flashback_

Six years at the academy… That was how long he had kept his mask of supreme idiocy up. Every test barely passed for the sake of his own safety. Every practical turned into fiasco of his own will to hide his true skill, again for the sake of self-preservation. Every prank played was used to secretly test himself so as to know his limits.

And yet, as hard as he tried to come off as an oaf and weakling, he was still perceived by many as something undeserving of existence or acknowledgement. But after today, no one would be able to deny his existence any longer, especially considering that, after failing on purpose twice, he was actually taking this exam seriously. Then again, there was also the fact that the few friends he had were taking it this time around as well.

Over the years, Naruto had made a few friends out of his classmates. There was Inuzuka Kiba, who like Naruto was a prankster at heart, Nara Shikamaru, who knew that the idiot mask was just that and didn't tell a soul, Akimichi Choji, who could eat almost as much ramen as Naruto, and Hyuuga Hinata. Now, Naruto knew about Hinata and her crush on him, but, he could not act on her feelings. As much as he wanted to, he was afraid to bring her into his situation. He was almost sure that no one in her clan would protect her from the masses that plagued him continually.

The exam started out as it normally did. The written test, in three different versions(Two for the other students, one made special via genjutsu just for Naruto, by Mizuki no less) were handed out. Naruto's tests always had harder questions or required longer answers. But this time he came ready, without his mask on, nor did he have any intention of holding back. Today he would that he truly was on the table.

He promptly dispelled the genjutsu on his test paper and got to work answering all the questions that he could in the time limit allotted by Iruka, which was three hours. He was among the last to turn in his test, but he was the only one with a hundred for his score as the students would find out after lunch. This caused a bit of an uproar among the students and many accused him of cheating. This theory of theirs was knocked by the fact that he had sat next to the window in the front row with two empty seats to his right meaning he had no one to copy from. Iruka even patted him down looking for a cheat sheet which there was none to be found.

The next portion of the exam was a performance of taijutsu. By some stroke of luck, read Mizuki, he was to demonstrate his taijutsu against Sasuke. "Kill him Sasuke-kun!" was the chant rising from his fanbase while he wore an expression of boredom on his face. He lowered his eyes and shook his head saying, "I feel so sorry for you loser." Naruto gave a small sort and in reply said, "So is this the part where you insult me or is that after you win? Because if you have anything else to say teme, say it now or you'll need to wait until after you regain consciousness." Naturally Sasukes fangirls didn't like his attitude to their idol and increased their death chant. And then the proctor started the match. And then it was over as a cry of "RING OUT!"echoed through the now silent arena. Sasuke Uchiha was knocked back fifteen feet by shouldertackle delivered by Naruto to his sternum effectively knocking the wind out of him and put him out of the ring. Needless to say Naruto aced the taijutsu portion of the exam. All that was left was the ninjutsu portion.

This was propbably the only portion that Naruto needed his full concentration on. Henge and Kawamiri both second nature to him by now. It was the Bushnin that fucked him over. Luckily, he recently learned an advanced one courtesy of the Hokage, provided of course that he go ten weeks without pranking anyone in Konoha. He kept his end of the bargain and was taught Kage Bushnin to use as long he didn't abuse it. And he did not, even though he had found as many loopholes as necessary, just as a precaution.

As he entered the test room after his name was called he had an air of confidence that was well deserved. He aced the written test, and he had passed the taijutsu portion with a very high score. And with his upgraded clone jutsu he would finally pass with a headband. He was first asked to perform the henge, as long as it wasn't that perverted transformation he performed a few days prior that put most of the male class in comas. So, he transformed into a perfect copy of Iruka. Then he was asked to switch with a log that was in the room. With a quick prayer of "Log, forgive me." He switched with it and prayed again, "Log, I thank thee." Then he was asked to make a few clones. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then he put his fingers together and yelled, "Kage Bushnin no Jutsu!" Suddenly the room was filled with solid, tangible clones. The teachers were not only impressed but also happy that he passed because he was a prankster who commonly used them as guinea pigs. And he walked out happy with a headband in his hands.

School was out of session and he was humming _Schools Out_ by Alice Cooper. Suddenly Mizuki came up to him to talk to him. He looked at Naruto and said, "I need to talk to you about something important. You see even though your scores on the exam were the highest, we still can't put you on a team because the rest of your scores throughout the year were so low. But I know of an extra exam you can take to get some extra credit. Here's what you have to do…"

_End flashback_

As he continued running he saw in the distance, still pretty far off mind you, the Hokage Monument, meaning he was closing in on the village. So that little bit of hope renewed his strength a great deal finding he was getting close to the village. But he remembered Iruka was fighting Mizuki back in the forest somewhere. So he decided to turn back to help him. But before doing so he attached one of his firework tags to a kunai and threw it straight up into the air which exploded shortly after being released. Then he turned around and ran as fast he could to find Iruka and Mizuki.

As he ran forward he could only think of how he was going to pull this off. He probably had ANBU on his ass, not to mention several tracker teams and maybe even the old man. So close enough distance between himself and them so he could reach Iruka. When got there, all he would have to do was distract Mizuki until the others arrived. He was even leaving some of his stuff behind for them to follow. By now he surmised he had about a half a mile between him and the two chunin. Sure enough he saw them in the distance with Mizuki's back to him. Quickly he created ten clones to go around and surround the area.

Mizuki feeling the chakra usage turned and stared straight into Naruto's face. He had a shit eating grin on his face that sickened Naruto. "Just the Genin I was trying to find. You know Iruka played a mean trick on me by pretending to be you so I had to rough him up a bit. He seemed most adamant about keeping me from finding you." Sure enough naruto looked past Mizuki to see Iruka looking a lot worse for wear. There were several bruises and cuts all over him. But Mizuki didn't look that much better. He had his share of wounds on his person. But that sickening smile was still on his face. "It's obvious that by now my treachery is known. So I don't have much more I can do to you or Iruka. So I have an offer for you Naruto." Naruto gave him a look of distrust.

"What kind of offer? The last offer you made to me kind of got you into this mess." Said Naruto not taking his off Mizuki.

"I'll tell you why the village hates you." Not losing a beat he was about to open his mouth until Iruka shouted at him, 'DON'T YOU DARE! Naruto don't listen to him!" But Mizuki kept talking. "You see the tale about the Yondaime killing the Kyuubi wasn't true. That weakling kill the Kyuubi, so instead he sealed it a newborn baby. You know who that baby was?"

Suddenly, Naruto started laughing as if he was told something extremely funny. "What's so funny Naruto?" Naruto looked at him with tears in his eyes and his Patented prankster smile on his face. And then he said, "You are. I knew about the Kyuubi since about three years ago. I asked the Old man out right. After being called demon brat for so much of my life I kind of put two and two together. But there is one thing I know that you don't Mizuki." He lost the smile on his face. "Well two things actually. One, I'm not the fox. And two," his smile returned, "You've been surrounded by ANBU since you started talking." Sure enough, Mizuki looked up in the trees around him and saw no less than twenty ninja wearing animal masks looking down at him. He was caught and he knew it. But he thought of having one last laugh as he rushed Naruto while spinning a giant shuriken in his hands intent on killing him. He let it fly and naruto dodged to the side just in time for it to cut the strap to his new head band. Then Naruto and ten of the ANBU raced forward at Mizuki and pummeled into Unconsciousness with a righteous fury. "That was for Iruka-Sensei."

The ten ANBU with Naruto then poofed out of existence and Naruto finally let himself take to one knee. He was exhausted after the night's events. He saw one of the ANBU approaching so Naruto sitting down now took the scroll off of his back and handed it to him. The ANBU merely nodded and turned while his squadron was binding Mizuki to take to interrogation. Then Naruto turned to Iruka and asked, "Are you alright, Iruka-Sensei?" Iruka weakly looked at his most surprising student and gave an affirmative nod. The he said, "I'm proud of you Naruto. You were outmatched but you still put the safety of a comrade above your own, but your headband… Naruto, close your eyes." Naruto did as he was told and when was told he could open them, "Don't let anything happen to this one, OK?" Iruka gave Naruto his Headband. Suddenly, An ANBU wearing a cat mask dropped down and said, "The Hokage would like to see the both of you in his office for a debriefing. He also wishes you to arrive promptly so I am to escort you." She walked over to Iruka and helped to carry him to see the Hokage while Naruto walked slowly behind them comteplating the nights events and how he would not be so foolish in the future. He was sure The Old Man would give a pass just this once but if this were to happen again he might be punished. With that in mind he ran a little ahead and said, "I'll go on ahead and face the Old Man until you guys get there." And with that he started on the road to his future with the sun rising on the horizon.

R&R

Sorry if this chapter is a little late. I got sick over the holidays with some sort of stomach virus.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Atma Chronicles**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except a few OC's. Thank you.**

**Chapter 2: Talking to yourself about Love**

It should be understood by all that Naruto was in no way shape or form crazy. Some of his actions may attest to him otherwise but they were the only way he could test himself without coming off as competent. He wasn't weak, nor was he stupid. And he sure as hell wasn't ignorant.

The day he learned about the fox from the Hokage, his first action, other than taking the knowledge of its nature with a grain of salt, was to get to know it, or him as the fox preferred to be likened as, as he was in fact, a male.

_Flashback_

Naruto had walked with no specific destination in mind, with a lot on his mind. It was his ninth birthday today, and like every birthday, the civilians and even some shinobi were acting more hateful towards him than usual. But as he passed them in the street with his head down, he now knew why. The Hokage had called him to his office to give him his yearly present which was a set of books on fuinjutsu, the art of sealing. But when Naruto walked into his office, he did not lokk like he wanted a present. He sat right down in the chair in front of the desk and flat out asked, "Am I the Kyuubi?"

Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi's first reaction was to stare in shock at the child. He didn't know how to answer because he knew he couldn't lie nor tell the truth to Naruto because either could be harmful to the boy. But then he observed the look on Naruto's face. It was the kind of look an older man had. It was one that said 'Do your worst' with a carefully tamed quality of awareness for detecting misinformation. He knew he had to be as honest as he could without divulging too much information as that was all Naruto wanted. But that didn't stop him from saying, "First off, I'm glad you decided to ask me here in the privacy of my office. Secondly, why are you asking? Did someone tell you something they shouldn't?"

Naruto shook his haed and looked Sarutobi in the eye and said, "No one told me anything. But, that does not stop people from implying some things. Add in the fact that my birthday is on the same day as the Kyuubi's defeat, and that I was the only baby born that night, I did the math and came up with a few conclusions, all of which include me and the Fox in some way. I want rule this one out so I can sleep at night because it has been keeping me up nights just thinking everyone is right in calling me a monster. Please Old Man, I have to know." He finished his explanation with his plea that showed how desperate he felt. This was a plea for closure.

The Hokage moved by his instincts got up from his desk, went over to Naruto and hugged him. Then in the granfatherly tone he used so often with Naruto said, "Naruto? You are no more the fox then I am. The truth is, when you were born, as the Fox was rampaging through the village, the Yondaime, in a last ditch effort to save the village, sealed the beast away into you as you were the only person born that night. He had to use a new born baby so that the child could adapt to the chakra the fox had because it was immense. If he had used a full grown adult, the chakra would have destroyed them. You should have been treated like a hero, not like a leper. But, maybe my successor had too much blind faith in others. One thing is for sure, though, and it is that you are the only thing keeping the fox at bay. If not for you, we would all be doomed. And for that reason, you are a hero, not a monster." By the end of his little speech, Naruto was crying into the Hokages robes. "There, there. Let it all out."

So after about an hour of crying, Naruto left the Hokage's office for a secluded area to think things over. He soon found himself at the path he took to get to the top of the Hokage Monument. Figuring it was the best place to think; he set himself on the path and began his ascension until he reached the top. He sat himself down just a little ways away from the edge overlooking the village. Then he closed his eyes.

He suddenly found himself in a sewer. Mind you, he knew this was not a sewer but a reflection of his soul. And he could understand why it looked like this. His life had been filled with so much darkness that it had manifested itself as a dark place, but it was not all bad. There was yet enough light in his life to light what could have been dark endless tunnels so he obviously appreciated and cherished those moments that brought him happiness. So began to wonder the lit halls with one goal in mind. He was looking for the Fox.

It seemed to him that he was walking for hours, but he finally reached his destination. In front of him was a large set of prison doors with a piece of paper that had the word 'SEAL' written on it over what must have been the lock. Mustering up his courage he yelled, "I would speak with the Kyuubi!" He gulped and added, "Please!"

Suddenly, a pair of giant red eyes were coming toward the him from the other side of the cage. As they got closer, the creature who had those eyes was becoming more defined as you could make out its size. And then, Naruto was staring at the Kyuubi in his full glory. Fifty feet tall and twice as long with nine tails whipping behind it was what Naruto saw. And it was smiling at Naruto showing its long, sharp, and pointed teeth. "**So you finally wish to know me.**" It wasn't a question. "**What do you want?**"

Naruto, though in awe of the Majesty the Kyuubi radiated, gathered his composure and courage. He looked the Kyuubi in the eye and said, "I am Uzumaki Naruto, your container. I wish to know you. Though, I am in fear of you awesome power, I would rather find reasons to be not in fear of you but in just awe of you. So I stand before you to ask if we can be honest about ourselves to one another. I am no threat to you so if you would, please put a curb on your power and let us talk like civilized creatures." As he finished talking, he noticed the Kyuubi was not emanating his power as fiercely as before, but actually listening.

"**Very well kit. But be warned, treat me with disrespect, and you will know my displeasure.**" The Kyuubi lowered himself down to Naruto's level. Even then, he still towered over the boy by many feet. "**Ask your questions, boy.**" Naruto gulped. "**Well?**"

"I…I w-wish to know w-w-why you attacked nine years ago. P-Please." He said it barely above a whisper but the Kyuubi heard him anyway. He was impressed that the boy was even still standing in spite of his fear.

"**First off, child, you have no need to fear me. We of the fox clan would not harm children if we can stop ourselves. Secondly, I attacked because I forced to by a man wearing a spiral mask. As to his identity, I am uncertain for his scent did not match his name. That is all I shall say on that matter for the moment.**" He gave his head a shake and tried to lift his hind leg to scratch behind his ear, but there was no room to do so, so he gave a sort of annoyed growl. "**Goddamnit. This cage is too cramped.**"

Naruto looked at the Kyuubi. "I'm sorry. I guess it's my fault for being so small. I'll try to fix it." He screwed up his face in concentration. Suddenly the cage began to grow wider and taller and didn't stop until it could hold the Kyuubi thrice over. "Is that Better, Kyuubi, sir?" The Kyuubi's only response was a grunt of approval as he scratched that spot behind his ear that tormented him for nearly ten years. Then, with a great stretch, and a loud yawn he said, "**Thanks, boy. And it's Kurama.**"

_End Flashback_

Ever since that day, Naruto went into his mindscape once a week to talk to Kurama. If nothing else, he was always a good listener. He also gave good advice when Naruto needed it. But he was also a fox and enjoyed a good prank. So it was not uncommon for him and Naruto to come up with something together and put it out unto the masses every once in a while.

He was also a centuries old demon. He had knowledge on many areas of life and was more than willing to share them with Naruto. They would spend countless hours in his mindscape practicing taijutsu, ninjutsu, even going as far as learning kenjutsu, which Naruto seemed to excel at. As I said, The Kyuubi was many centuries old and had studied many lost arts over the course of his life. But he could do them no longer being trapped for eternity within Naruto, so he made Naruto his apprentice so as to keep his arts alive and in humble hands. He could see that Naruto would not use what he was taught without good reason. He bound Naruto not to reveal his skills unless absolutely necessary or he was ready to take the consequences of showing his true strength. He would not tell Naruto as to why he cared so much about his welfare.

Today was the day after graduation and Naruto had just left the Hokage's office. He headed to the top of the Hokage Monument to think. He needed to think especially hard considering his apartment building was ransacked while he was out stealing the scroll of sealing. He had thought that becoming a ninja would stop some of the people from tormenting him but apparently he was wrong. As he reached the top, he looked around to insure he was alone. He gave himself a small smile. "Come out, Hinata." He turned to see a girl about his age come out of the trees.

The girl had hair that mirrored moonless midnight. Her eyes to him were reminiscent of twin lavender moons in full light. Her skin was pale, flawless, and probably soft to the touch. To Naruto, she was probably beauty and grace personified, but he could never bring himself to say such things to her. "How can I help you?"

Hinata was always shy around him, well more shy than usual anyway. She was extremely withdrawn around others, and what hurt the most to Naruto was that he knew why. He was extremely sneaky and often times snuck into places he wasn't welcome. He saw how she was treated at home. She was treated in her own home as he was in the village. They were similar in so many ways.

She gulped, turned, and ran. She could only talk to him in her mind. And the conversation she wanted to have with him was so fresh in her mind. But how could she tell him that she was there last night. Tears fell from her eyes because she now knew why he was treated like a leper. She wanted to tell him she didn't care and that she loved him in spite of everything. But just like every other time she had the chance to talk to him, she couldn't. What she wouldn't give for an ounce of his courage. Suddenly, she was caught up in a pair of strong arms. They smelled of ramen and sweat. She looked up and stared into large oceans that represented her crush's eyes. "N-N-Naruto-kun." She was close to fainting at the sight of him.

"I know you were there. And I trust you to not think less of me because of what was said. The Old Man wanted me to talk to you about this." He looked at her and smiled. "Just between you and me, I am glad someone my own age knows. But don't tell anyone else yet. Kay?"

All she could do was nod before he let go of her. She ran past him and headed straight home. He stayed rooted to the spot for a second. In a small span of time, he was able to confirm a few things about her. He knew her feelings for him were stronger now, and she was growing braver if only by a little bit. But he also knew that he would have to be the one to break her heart when he turned her feelings aside to save her from his life, and that to him hurt more and more as he thought about it. After all, She deserved better than a clanless orphan like him.

Naruto continued his trek back up to the top of the monument. When he got there, he sat down and closed his eyes. Now to a normal person, it would have seemed as if he were in deep thought. But the fact was he was entering his mindscape to talk with Kurama. Suddenly the world around him seemed to vanish being replaced with a training dojo filled with swords of all shapes and sizes, as well as posters on the wall filled with different words of wisdom. In the center of the dojo wearing a red sleeveless karate gi, was a man standing at about 6' 4''. He had long flaming red hair tied up in a single pony tail that reached the small of his also had blood red eyes staring forward at Naruto. His ensemble was completed by a red sash made from nine tails wrapped around his waist. This was Kurama's Human form and it still commanded some form of respect because never had so perfect a warrior even come close to matching his demon prowess in fair combat. That is not to say that no one has tried.

"What are we working on today, Master?" asked Naruto. Kurama surveyed his pupil and said, "Nothing today. We will not be training for a few months at least. You are already too far in your training to come off as a mere genin. So, In order to protect us I must wait until you have taken the Chuunin Exams at least once before continuing." Naruto was well aware of what could transpire should he come off as too powerful so he merely nodded his head. "Now as to the affair of the little Hyuuga… While I accept that she knows, I cannot accept your reasoning for trying to push her away while keeping her close. One of the first things I taught you was to never be of two minds about anything."

"I know Master. It's just-"

"It's just nothing, Naruto. You care for her deeply and if were willing to go so far for her, you could have her. I would rather see you alone then see you so conflicted. She could be the best thing to ever happen to you if you let her be so. So, I'm giving you one year. If by the end of the year, you are still conflicted than let her go completely. No talking to her or acknowledging her for the rest of your life. If you want to be with her, go whatever distance is necessary to be with her. But this two minds bullshit has got to stop." Kurama put his head down. "I've been where you are before. I had to make a choice that haunts me to this day. My choice cost the love of my life her life so it's almost as if I took it myself." He heaved a heavy sigh. "That's I will say today. Get out of here."

And with that, Naruto opened his eyes. His heart felt heavy, but, Kurama was right. He would have to make the decision someday. He just hoped someday would not be too soon.

R&R


	4. Chapter 4

**The Atma Chronicles**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except some OC's and maybe a few locations. Also, if anyone can point me to where I can get a free Al Bhed Language Cypher that would be wonderful.**

**Chapter 3: Down time**

The teams were to be assigned in three days, so, Naruto had some down time. After he got back to his apartment, he immediately surveyed the damage. Lucky for him, it was as minimal as usual. Of course to him, minimal meant that he had to replace his furniture on a regular basis. And as usual, not one of his neighbors heard or saw anything. But he didn't care so much anymore. He had long since decided to only keep cheaply made furniture made out of particle board. It was less expensive to replace.

He summoned a few shadow clones to clean up his apartment while he went to the bedroom. He didn't care so much about his bed as to his closet or more specifically, what was hidden under the closet floor. He went over to his closet and pulled up the loose floorboard. His little cache of special treasures had increased over the years. **Tales of Ages** Looked even more patched and frayed than ever having been read many times over. His Gimel Coin, and Knife, as well as his little Storm Sphere were still there. There was also now in addition a three pronged kunai given to him by an ANBU wearing a dog mask, a pair of black leather fighting gloves with metal studs on the knuckles, and a complete set of fuinjutsu handbooks written by Jiraiya of the Sannin, plus a few odds and ends books that he found like **A Treasure Hunters Guidebook** by Locke Cole. All these things were greatly important to him for several reasons but mostly because they were all birthday presents. The only treasures he kept on him at all times were his wallet and goggles considering they came from Hinata.

Suddenly, a voice called from in his apartment, "Dobe?! Where are you?!" 'Oh Great' thought Naruto. 'Sasuke.' He gently replaced the floor board so as to not make a sound. Then he walked out of his bed room to see Sasuke standing in his living room looking livid. "Fangirls almost rape you today?" He allowed himself a smile. Sasuke however didn't smile. "You humiliated me the other day. I'm here to return the favor." He got into a fighting stance.

Naruto just shook his head and said, "I have a list of things that I would rather do other than humiliate you Sasuke. You weren't paying attention and therefore making yourself an easy target. Besides, we are not samurai here, but ninja. Therefore, I was well within my rights to take you down as I saw fit." Then he looked Sasuke straight in the eye. "Besides, what you are about to do is considered illegal by the Shinobi Code." And he quoted, "_No shinobi may willingly and/or knowingly attack a fellow shinobi of the same village unless sanctioned to do so by the head shinobi, hear by refered to as Kage, in which case such action can only be approved in the event(s) of one of the above mentioned shinobi being accused of illegal activity putting the village at risk._" He allowed himself a small cough. "I have done nothing illegal, nor have I put the village at risk. I only seem to be guilty of making you look bad, which last I checked, isn't a crime. So, take this bull shit of yours elsewhere. I have to go buy some new furniture." He walked past Sasuke only to be stopped by an ANBU wearing a deer mask. "The council requires your presence Naruto." 'Oh Great.' thought Naruto again. 'On top of this prick, now I have to listen to a bunch of old farts who haven't made a decent decision in some thirty years. What's next? A madman hell bent on the village's destruction?'

Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location, a man with snake like eyes sneezed.

"On my way." said Naruto not too anxiously.

Naruto arrived at the council chamber and, ever so delicately, opened the door just a little and peered inside. The council was made up of two different echelons. One one side was the Civilian Council. It was comprised of mainly people of business: merchants, bankers, and your run of the mill politicians. Many of the civilian council had been members on the council for many a year. So, it was safe to assume that they hadn't got much done in a long time considering no fresh idea was considered worthy of the mast minute amount of attention unless it agreed with the current status quo.

The other half of the council was the Shinobi Council. It was made up of the clan heads as well as seasoned jounin. The Shinobi Council was always fair to Naruto. They governed over the Military aspect of the hidden village. If it involved ninja, it involved them. They also had a say, no matter how small it was, in how the village was run. And, luckily, the Civilian Council had no say over the Military aspects of the village. That's not say that they didn't try to over step that boundary on multiple occasions, openly and covertly. But, they had very few successes. That was a good thing in Naruto's book.

On the far side of the chamber opposite the door, sat the Hokage and his three advisors, Homura, Koharu, and Danzo(Old Hag, Old as Sin, and Old and Ugly). The Hokage saw Naruto peeping through the door and beckoned him in a simple gesture of his hand. Naruto entered the chamber, his glued straight forward, and a stony expression on his face. His action was to bow before the Hokage, then turn to the Shinobi council and extend the same courtesy. He was also supposed to do the same for the civilian side, but he wasn't in that good a mood, and besides, they didn't deserve it. "How may I serve the illustrious Council?" he asked in a somewhat respectful yet still mocking tone pointed mostly at the civilians.

Homura stood and said, "You are here to explain your actions during your Genin Examination. Many here are convinced that you had cheated and are undeserving of that head band you now wear." Naruto smirked. Homura was a nasty witch in his opinion, who tried to act important. But she wasn't in his eyes. "Which part? There were three." Homura looked indignant, liked she swallowed a mouthful of vinegar and had bad indigestion because of it. "Start with the written part. How did you pass? It is well documented that you are the worst academically."

"Let me answer that question with one of my own. What is a ninja's greatest tool?" he asked with a smile on his face. A big man with a friendly looking face, Akimichi Chouza, answered. "Deception." Naruto nodded his head and replied, "Exactly. I had deceived many into thinking I'm an idiot, but the fact of the matter was, I could have aced any test put before me and chose not to. I did this out of pure survival mind you, because every time I excelled at anything I was attacked most ruthlessly by people afraid of what they believe I am. And before any of you open your mouths about that subject, I am well aware of my status as well as the law pertaining to me on the matter and speaking of it is cause for execution." He took a deep breath. "Now back to the matter at hand. You claim that I cheated on my written exam. How could I have done so, sitting in the front row, by a window, with no one next to me, and having been checked for cheat sheets before the exam started?" A tumult of grumbles began to rise. "I thought so. Next Question."

"What about the jutsu portion? How is it that you, a boy who can't create a single regular clone, was able to pass?" asked Koharu. Naruto not losing a beat, replied, "I petitioned the Hokage a year ago about teaching me an advanced clone because of my inability to utilize the standard clone. The reason I can't use a standard clone is because my chakra reserves are too large and I don't have the correct amount of control to call on the exact amount necessary to use the standard clone. But, that does not mean I lack the reserves or control necessary for an advanced clone like the Kage Bushnin." He stared Koharu in the eye. "I can demonstrate my skill if you are still unconvinced." "That will not be necessary." said Koharu very angrily. "Very well. What about the Taijutsu portion, where you embarrassed the last Uchiha?"

"First off," said Naruto, "That was a sanctioned fight. So, I can't be held accountable for anything that may or may not have happened during said event. Secondly," he continued, "The Uchiha did not make any move to defend himself or to make any indication of taking the match seriously, which pretty proved to be a big mistake on his part. We are training to be ninja and must therefore be aware of the goings on around us at all times." He smirked. "Besides, we are taught to take every advantage and he gave one, so I took it. And I don't look at it like I embarrassed him, I look at it like I humbled him, you know, dropped his ego down to earth a little. Maybe he won't be so keen as to act like that next time." By the end he had a wide grin on his face.

"How much potential have you been holding back?" asked Danzo. He placed naruto under a scrutinizing, and threatening stare. Naruto just waved it off. "That is between me and the Hokage. As it stands, as an official ninja, I only have to answer to the Shinobi Council and the Hokage now. And, seeing as you are neither, I don't have to answer your question." He looked straight at the Sarutobi. "But, I'll be nice here and vaguely answer your question. I would say that I'm strong but not strong enough, and leave it at that. Is that all?" He asked. By this point in time, he was getting bored. Suddenly, a pink haired woman in the back screamed, "No it most certainly is not! What about your stealing the Forbidden Scroll?!" He turned to the woman. Seikiri Haruno, was the head of the civilian council. She was a loud, harsh, not to mention mean, woman, whose sole purpose in life was to make everyone see things her way, or no way. She also had a cruel and cunning intellect as well as a way with words that could confuse the best politician straight into a downward spiral to the bottom of the food chain. She was also a total bitch. But Naruto, ever prepared for his own defense, said with conviction, "The matter of which you speak is a Shinobi matter that you have no business inquiring of. In fact, you shouldn't even have knowledge of such an event as civilians are not supposed to be meddling in shinobi affairs as is the law that was agreed upon by the first council and the Nidaime. And besides, I'm not at liberty to discuss it in front of civilians in the first place considering that the Hokage labeled the events from the beginning up to the debriefing an A-Class secret and therefore above your pay grade." Seikiri looked as if she wanted to say something further until the Hokage spoke up. "he's right councilwoman Haruno. So unless you want me to open an inquiry as to how you know such classified material, you would do best to hold your tongue. As for you Naruto, I'm sorry to have wasted your time. You may leave." Seikiri stood there speechless. She had just been outwitted by a thirteen year old boy. Even worse, she had been reprimanded in front of the entire council. She gave Naruto a look of pure ingination and hate as he walked calmly out of the council chamber with a look of self-satisfaction etched on his face.

**R&R**

**In addition to my request for an Al Bhed cypher, I would also like a Cypher for the language used in Star Fox Adventure, Please.**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Atma Chronicles**

**Disclaimer: I recently found the cyphers I was looking for. Now I'm just trying to memorize the languages for future use in the story. Anyway, I own nothing except a few OC's.**

**Chapter 4: Team 7**

Today was the day of the team assignments and Naruto was very nervous. As far as he knew, according to tradition, it was customary that the dead last who was Naruto was to be placed with the rookie of the year plus the kunoichi of the year. Now under any other circumstances, this would have been a dream come true for anyone else. But to Naruto, this could turn into a hellacious nightmare considering that meant he would be stuck with Sasuke and Sakura. Only now did he regret holding back as much as he did but, hindsight was always 20/20.

He had just walked into the classroom more silent than usual. He had been somewhat subdued over the past few days. He had already made a few enemies on the civilian council and made an enemy out of Sasuke all in the same week. But what really weighed on his mind was that he hadn't got a chance to really speak with Hinata after their encounter a few days ago.

He saw her sitting in the back row, her gaze trying to meet his eyes but never staying more than a few milliseconds on them before withdrawing back into herself. Seeing this he made his way to the back row intent on taking the empty seat next to her. And then he felt a heated gaze focused on him. He turned and saw Sasuke looking at him, and he looked pissed. It was not at all surprising to Naruto considering that he refused to kiss Sasuke's ass like everyone else. He turned his gaze from Sasuke back to the back row towards his destination and continued walking up the steps when… "Oi Dobe?! Why Is Sasuke-kun looking at you like you did something to him?!"

'Oh great.' He thought. 'The harpies.' He turned to Sakura and Ino and said, "Probably thinking of the best way to ass rape me, and before you open your big fat mouths, if he wasn't gay he would pay attention to you useless excuses for standard kunoichi. So shut up and fuck off. I am not in the mood." Most of the class was in shock except Sasuke who was seething and Sakura who was livid. Normally, Naruto would be all over Sakura about a date or trying to at least talk to her and fail miserably. But today, he as good as told her she wasn't worth his time. Sakura was angry.

She raised her fist to hit Naruto but he turned grabbed a kunai from his holster and put it at her abdomen. "Before you can bring that fist down I will have plunged this knife into your gut and commit murder. I'll say it one more time. Fuck off." She stood there with eyes wide in surprise as he pulled his knife from her, turned his back to her, and began to walk away. In his voice just now, there was a cold, ruthless edge that chilled her to the bone. And she happened to look in his eyes. What she saw was beyond normal description. There was a madness coupled with a cruelty birthed by experience there. For that instant, she saw a look that was both dead and death to the world.

After what seemed like a long time to him, Naruto finally reached his destination. He looked at Hinata and with a smile, asked if he could sit next to her. Her only response was a nearly unnoticeable nod. He looked her straight in the eye and said, "You don't need to fear me. I'm just a little on edge today. These past few days have been stressful for me." He sat down next to her.

It was a few minutes later that would find Iruka walking through the classroom door. He took a quick survey of the room. Out of his class this last year, over half had passed the exam. He was feeling very proud to say the least but he was especially proud that his favorite student, Naruto, was sitting there among the graduates. With a smile he said, "First off, I want to congratulate all of you that passed. Secondly, I want to be the first to welcome you into the Hidden Leaf's ninja force. But I want it understood that from here on you are no longer considered children but from the moment you put on those headbands you became full-fledged adults as well as soldiers in the service of the Land of Fire including its allies abroad. You are now representatives of its unity, strength, and honor. You all shoulder a great responsibility. I can't stress enough to you the importance of the roles that are now yours. It's not all about being heroes or legends, but fighting for something greater than yourself. With that stated, I will now assign you to your teams. Team…"

At this point in time, Naruto tuned him out. It wasn't that he was being disrespectful. It was more to the fact that he already knew his fate. He was going to be stuck with Sasuke and Sakura. That was the end of it, at least in his mind it was. But what heard next caused him great joy. "Team 7 will consist of Uzamaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your Jonin Instructor will be Hatake Kakashi. Team 8…" He was inwardly soaring to the heavens. Sure he was stuck with Sasuke, but he was also with Hinata and he couldn't be happier. Meanwhile, Hinata was very happy as well but didn't dare smile because every Sasuke fangirl was shooting her a look that could kill. At least until Iruka pulled his Big-Head Jutsu to recall their attention.

Iruka had finished calling out the teams and said, "That's it for the team assignments. You will have two hours for a break and then meet back here to be collected by your respective sensei's. I expect you to remember to treat them with the same, and in some cases, more respect you showed me throughout your time here. And I also would consider it an honor to one day be able to count you as my equals or my superiors, so work hard and above all, never give up." With that he left the classroom.

Naruto turned to Hinata, his grin a genuine expression of the joy he felt. She looked at him too and gave a shy little smile. He got up and stretched and said, "Well, as we are to be teammates, why don't we all we go get something to eat and get to know each other better?"

Hinata nodded her head. She was still getting used to the idea that she and Naruto would be on the same team together. Sasuke on the other hand, did not want to have anything to do with the idea. He was still angry with Naruto over the embarrassment delivered unto him. Even worse he had to be placed with Hinata, a piece a cannon fodder at best in his opinion. He was also placed with a sensei who he had never heard of. He was an Uchiha. He should be receiving training from the best while training with the best. And then he heard, "Are you coming with us or not teme?" He glared at Naruto. "I'll take that as a no. Looks like it's just you and me Hinata." And with that Sasuke was left alone with his fangirls. Suddenly he stood up and ran after his team.

Fifteen minutes later would find Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke at one of Naruto's favorite haunts, the Icharaku Ramen Stand. "I'll buy the first round for us, but everything else is on you." said Naruto. "Oi, Old Man Icharaku, Set us up!" Suddenly an old man, Teuchi Icharaku, walked out from the back of the kitchen. He was tall, somewhat muscular, and had a friendly face. Next to him stood his daughter, Ayame. She was very pretty, taller than her father by just a little, and acted just a little bubbly. "And who are these people, Naruto? A girlfriend and her brother perhaps?" She gave a sly look. "Ayame, don't tease them like that. Naruto just graduated so those are probably his teammates. Am I right Naruto?" Teuchi asked in good humor. "That's right old man. Their first order is on me." Teuchi smiled and said, "Ayame, take their orders." He made his way back to the kitchen to begin making their ramen.

After they had their orders taken, Naruto took on a serious expression. "If we are going to be a team, I think we should know as much about each other as possible. That means we know about each other's strenths, skills, proficiencies, flaws, our individual personality traits. It's the only way we'll be able to work together. Leave nothing out. Sasuke, I say we start with you." He looked at Sasuke. Sasuke sighed, and said, "I have no flaws to speak of, I am adept at the intercepting fist taijutsu style, I have a small cache of fire jutsus, and I graduated as rookie of the year. My personality is none of your business, and I will have the Sharingan soon. That's it." Naruto shook his head. "I've already pointed out a few flaws in you. You're egotistical, you have a problem opening up to others, and you've limited your skill set to just fit your clans mind set. If I were you, I'd work on that as we progress."

"Okay Hinata. You're next. Don't be shy." He gave hinata an encouraging smile. "O-Okay. I'm a practitioner of Jyuken style t-taijutsu, I d-don't really k-know any ninjutsu, I'm not very strong but I am pretty f-flexible. I am also very shy, I stutter a lot, I don't really like violence, and I'm also considered a f-failure by m-m clan." Naruto looked at her. "You forgot about your superior chakra control, which could be useful, your Byakugan, which will definitely be useful, and your knowledge of medicine, which will most assuredly be an asset. The only real flaw I see is your confidence. But that can be helped."

"I guess it's my turn. I'm fast on my feet, I have an element of unpredictability, I'm proficient with traps, pranks, and parkour. I know a little bit about kenjutsu, I know a few wind jutsus, and I'm proficient with shadow clones. I'm studying up on sealing jutsu as well and can do a few simple seals, such as explosion seals and storing seals. I also have higher than average chakra reserves, but my control sucks. I also have a tendency to lose my temper at random intervals. I also need to work on my double minded tendencies. And I have an addiction to ramen." He took a deep breath. "Now that we know about each other, we will have to work on the areas that we pointed out as flaws, and it would not hurt to work on expanding on our strengths as well. Hinata with her superior chakra control could help us with our own which would benefit us greatly. Sasuke, your clan kept a library with over a thousand different jutsu from every element. If you would provide us with a few low level jutsu to expand our arsenal, that increases our effectiveness in a combat situation. I can't say I can contribute much, but I can act a distraction for the group so that the others have time to prepare whatever they will. We as a team will have to prepare a team mindset. That means, we will have to set up some time like now to work on tactics and teamwork." As he continued to speak, he and the others were unaware that they were being watched by their future sensei. "What an interesting team. Will they be able to finally pass my test?"

Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke walked back into the classroom at the appointed time. The past hour and a half was spent talking about what they could do to benefit the team as a whole. Sasuke walked in to the scary in-love looks of his fangirls, so to avoid them he followed Naruto and Hinata to the back of the class. He took the seat next to the far wall with Naruto right next to him. If nothing else, he would be a good shield. It proved to be the best choice as at that moment, Sakura and Ino ran into the classroom. And they spotted him sitting at the back and ran to his position. And then Sakura saw Naruto, with the scene from earlier still fresh in her mind, she turned and took a seat as far from him as possible. Ino on the other hand, was not to going to be stopped, or so she thought. "Move, I want to sit next to Sasuke." Naruto gave her an are-you-serious look and then let out a small chuckle while Sasuke cringed. "Why? You won't be able to stay there long. The senseis are going to be here soon to pick us up. So go sit with your own team." Ino was angry as Naruto turned to talk to Sasuke. Then she pushed by Hinata, tripped, and pushed Naruto face first into Sasuke's face, which led them to kiss. Naruto as soon as he could move away began to gag. "Oh Kami, I've been violated! Get me some mouthwash!" Sasuke was also choking while sending Ino a very nasty glare, who tried and failed miserably to look apologetic. At that time her team was called and she ran as her legs would carry her out of the classroom.

Three hours later would find Team 7 bored and angry. Their sensei had yet to show up and it was making them edgy. "Where the hell is this guy?!" Nauto and Sasuke were livid. Everyone else was gone leaving them alone. "Maybe he got held up with something important." Hinata seemed to be the only one who had kept her cool. Just then, they heard steps coming through the corridor. Naruto quickly went to the chalkboard, grabbed an eraser, and fitted into the crack in the door. Then he ran back to his seat being careful to make as little noise as possible.

Then the door opened. The eraser dropped hitting the entrant on top of his head. The man who walked into the room gave off a lackadaisical air, as if he had not a care in the world. He was a little over six feet tall but looked to be in peak physical condition. His hair was silver and spiked to one side. His face was an enigma as the bottom half of it was covered by a mask while one of his eyes was covered by his headband. He bent down to pick up the eraser then turned to the three. "My first impression is…I don't like any of you." He said with an eye smile. "Meet me on the roof in five minutes." With that, he disappeared from view.

"This guy did this to us on purpose." Said Naruto with a little smirk. "He's testing us. Whatever we do, don't give too much away to him." Sasuke nodded his head. Hinata looked a little nervous. "Also, I suggest we take the long way around. If he can't be on time, we don't need to give him the satisfaction."

Twenty minutes later, Team 7 appeared on the roof acting like they didn't have a care in the world. Their new sensei glared at them. "I said five minutes, not near half an hour." But Sasuke looked him in the eye and said, "There's no point in respecting the law of a hypocrite." Kakashi tried to wave it off. "Alrighty then. Well, how about we get to know eachother?" Naruto smirked and said, "We did that in the classroom. Shame you weren't there or you would know." Kakashi was getting pissed. "Well then do it again for me." Hinata decided to get in on the joke. "Say p-please." Now Kakashi caught on to them. They had already figured his little game out, and they weren't planning on playing it.

"Very well. It's obvious that you don't plan on letting me have my fun. So instead, I'm going to bypass the meet and greet and get down to it. I am your new sensei Hatake Kakashi. Whether you treat me with respect or not means very little to me. But, you will come by respect for me as we progress. But before that point in time, you have one more test to complete."

At this point, Sasuke asked, "What about the Genin Exam?" Kakashi looked at him and said, "That was simply to see if you had what it takes to be ninja. The fact is your future career is based on my discretion."

Then Hinata asked, "What k-kind of t-test?" Kakashi simply said, "A survival test."

Naruto wasn't buying it. "You have an ulterior motive. You're a bad liar. So just cut past whatever bullshit you're going feed us and tell us what we're in for, or we walk away." Kakashi had to admit that Naruto was good at reading people. "You asked for it. Tomorrow, you have to survive against me. I'll only keep two of you to train…"

"Bullshit. It's obvious, he's going to try turn us against eachother. He's just too lazy to be a good teacher. Too much effort. Let's get outta here." Kakashi finally snapped. "You listen here you little shit! You're right. I don't want to be a jounin sensei, but I have to be one by order of the Hokage. I don't want to be here. But I am getting tired of this disrespect from you!" Naruto looked him square in the eye and calmly said, "Than you should have made an attempt to earn our respect instead of playing with our heads. I refuse to respect someone I can't trust." The other two looked at the scene and smiled. Naruto's plan was working perfectly. "You couldn't show up on time, hoping to make us a little edgy, and now you're already trying to turn us against eachother, when it's written clearly in all the text books that all Konoha teams under Chunin-level work in threes. So, I call bullshit on everything you say until you can convince me otherwise."

Kakashi, not used to being outwitted, finally said, "Fine. You want me to be honest? I can't stand brats like you. You put on those headbands and automatically think that you're ready for the life of a ninja. But you're not. I've failed every team that came to me for that very reason. People with that kind of mindset get killed too quickly and it just ends in grief for those left behind." Kakashi sighed.

"I can understand where you're coming from. But, you automatically assume that we are already like that. You don't even want to give us a chance to prove you wrong. It's like you decided that the world always works how you see it." Naruto was looking at Kakashi with pity. "But, we could be the one team that changes your mind. You never know. I'm only saying, give us that chance without trying to turn us against eachother."

Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who said, "I don't want to agree with the dobe, but he's right. We worked hard to get here. We want prove our worth both individually and as a team. And if that means we have to eat, sleep, or shit as a team, then we'll do it. We may not like it, but I refuse back out."

Hinata looked at them both. They were both so strong willed and determined. She couldn't let them down. "We were assigned as a team. We will not fail." She said it a little louder than she meant to, but she got the point across.

Kakashi stared at the three genin with a little bit of respect. "Very well. I still have to give you final test though. Tomorrow, 8 o'clock, be at training ground 13 well rested and with a good breakfast. I hope you three can prove me wrong." With that said, Kakashi did a hand sign and disappeared.

"What's the plan, dobe?" Sasuke looked over at Naruto.

Naruto put his hand on his chin. It took him a minute, but he finally said, " Alright, here's what we do…"

**R&R**


End file.
